Knitting machine



June 4, 1935. M, z 2,003,674

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR M/Cl/FIEL Z/M/c ATTORNE 5 June 4, 1935. M. ZlMlc KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1.. N w \w xm 3 mm S Q? r INVENTOR M/Cf/HEL Z/M/c BY Z 1% ATTORNEYS June 4, 1935. M, zlMlc 2,003,674

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 j/l/l n.-

INVENTOR MGM/75L Z M G BYg Z 2 ATTORNE S Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE] KNITTING MACHINE Michael Zimic, Forest Hills West, N. Y. Application September 25, 1933, Serial No. 690,818

Claims. (01. 66-63) 4 This invention relates to improvements in such stitches. As a consequence, it is desirable knitting machines and has particular reference that the 01dv procedure, explained above, be reto a needle jack-control mechanism especially versed by employing the long-butted jacks to adapted for use on the fiat, link and link type of form the link stitches while'the jacks with short 5 machines. butts are used to make the flat stitches. In the 5 It has heretofore been the practice, in machines old method, wherein the long-butted jacks were of the above type, to employ a lock mechanism diverted from the channel in the lock mechanism supported upon the carriage of the machine and away from the opposed needle plate, said which travels back and forth above the needle jacks could not be utilized for the formation of .0 or bed plates wherein the needles and their jacks the link stitches. Therefore, provision had tobe' 1c are mounted. Said lock mechanism comprised a made for passing the longbutts through the series of looks so arranged as to provide a channel guide channel or course together the short or course through which the butts of the needle butted jacks and, during such passage, the long jacks of the associated bed plate pass as the butts had to be so controlled that they would carriage and lock mechanism are reciprocated, to cause the production of either'link or iiat stitches, 15 thus guide said jacks and thereby control the depending upon the particular design being movements thereof relative to the other bed plate knitted. in the making of fiat and link stitches which In accordance with the present invention; such combine to form the design of a knitted fabric. control of the long-butted jacks is attained by so Previously, it has been customary to utilize two having a lock element, or its equivalent, posisets of jacks in a bed plate, one set having long tioned in the guide channel ofthe lock mechabutts and the other short ones. The latter were nism in such manner that when it is desired to employed to form the link stitches and werev have the long-butted jacks produce link stitches, caused to pass through the channel or course of said element becomes effective to temporarily 5 the lock mechanism, while the jacks with long divert the long butts from the course, of said butts were operated to form the flat stitches. In channel to thereby project the jacks into the the making of fiat stitches, the long-butted jacks opposed needle plate, while the short-butted jacks were prevented from being projected or driven are permitted to follow said course.

into the needle grooves of the opposed bed plate,as The invention further contemplates the proin the case of link stitches, and to this end, these vision of automatic means for adjusting the posi- 3Q long-butted jacksinstead of following the course tion of the above-mentioned lock element relathrough which the short butts passed, were tive to said guide channel so that all of the jacks shunted or diverted from said course and the may be caused to form either link or flat stitches, butts thereof caused to pass along the edge of the or so that the long-butted jacks alone will effect lock mechanism remote from the opposed needle the link stitches. 35 or bed plate. To accomplish this shunting or di- The inventive idea involved is capable of reversion of the long-butted jacks, a means has ceiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one been provided at each end of the lock mechanism, of which, for purposes of illustration, is shown and outside the entrances to the guide channel or in the accompanying drawings wherein:

4 course, which contacted the long butts to di- Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of a knit- 40 vert them toward the mentioned edge of the lock ting machine of the flat, link and link type, mechanism and thereby prevented their entrance showing the present invention applied thereto. into said channel, while the short butts were per- Figure 2 is an .end elevation of the machine. mitted, by said means, to enter said channel. Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view 5 Thus, as the carriage and lock mechanism were of the reciprocating carriage of the machine, il-

moved over the bed plate, the long-butted jacks lustrating the lock control mechanism of the were held in a retracted position relative to the present invention in the intermediate position opposed bed plate by reason of the engagement which it assumes when the lock element is parof their butts with the aforesaid edge of said tially projected into the guide channel or course mechanism. of the lock mechanism. 50,

In the development of this art, the use of link Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3 showing stitches has increased materiallyand it has been the position of the control mechanism when the found that the long-butted jacks are better look element is in a fully projected position relaadapted, owing to the size of their butts and contive to said guide channel.

sequent increased durability, to the making of Figure 5 is a partial bottom plan view of the 55 carriage showing the lock mechanism associated therewith.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary edge elevation of the lock control mechanism, partly broken away and shown in section.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 1| of Figure 3, the dotted lines indicating the various positions of adjustment of the lock element.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-3 of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 3, and

Figures 10 and 11 are elevations of needle jacks having short and long butts, respectively.

The present invention is shown in conjunction with a knitting machine of the kind illustrated in Patent #1,669,032, dated May 8, 1928, and in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is illustrated as much of said machine as is necessary to an understanding of the construction and operation of the jack control mechanism which includes essential characteristics of the apparatus herein claimed. As shown, the machine comprises generally a frame I2 in which is supported for reciprocation the carriage l3 movable lengthwise of the machine and above the needle plates l4 and IS. The reciprocation of the carriage I3 is accomplished through the medium of a bar l6 connected to said carriage and slidable upon a rail IT. The bar "5 is operatively connected to an endless chain l 8 driven off of a shaft l9 which is connected through suitable gearing to a motor or other source of power 20. The aforesaid patent relates to a racking mechanism in which one of the needle plates, such as the plate [4, is periodically shifted longitudinally relative to the other plate. Because of the fact that the means for driving the jack control mechanism of the present invention, in its preferred form, is coupled to the drive of the racking mechanism, a portion of the latter is shown, although it will be understood that this racking mechanism may be entirely dispensed with in the operation of the present invention. Briefly, the racking mechanism includes a bar 2| secured to the needle plate l4 and controlled by a three-point cam 22 which is turned in a stepwise movementunder the control of a pawl 23. This pawl is driven through a pitman connection 24 operated off of a shaft 25 which is connected through gearing 26 and suitable transmission 2! to the motor 20. When the machine is not racking, pawl 23 is inoperative to rotate the shaft upon which the cam 22 is mounted, said pawl being held in an inoperative position by a lever 28 which, when lowered about its pivot permits said pawl 23 to become operative. The control for the lever 28is not illustrated in the drawings, except that portion thereof which cooperates with the jack control mechanism of the present invention and therefore, for a further detailed description of the racking mechanism, reference is made to the above-mentioned Letters Patent.

I Said portion of the apparatus which operates the lever 28 and also actuates the jack control mechanism, hereinafter to be described, comprises a pair of shafts 29 and 30 rotatably mounted in a portion of the framework l2 of the machine and each turned in astep-by-step movement by the pawl and ratchet mechanism 3| and 32 which are operatively connected, through the link 33, to the pitman 24. Each of the shafts 29 and 30 customarily carries a series of connected sprockets 34 arranged in opposed pairs on the two shafts with the sprockets of each pair carrying endless chains 35 and 36. The opposed chains on the different sprockets are utilized to control various instrumentalities in the operation of a knitting machine, such as racking, turning of the jacquard, changing of the yarn carriers, etc., and also the operation of the jack control mechanism of the present invention. For purposes of clarity, only those chains 35 and 36 which are involved in the operation of the present invention are illustrated and insofar as the latter is concerned the operation may be effected through a single chain, if desired. As previously indicated, the lock element, which is later to be described in detail and which is utilized to control the jacks in the making of link and fiat stitches, is capable of assuming three positions relative to the guide chan-- nel or course of the lock mechanism of which said element forms a part, and in order to control the adjustment of said lock element to such positions a trip device comprising a bell-crank lever 31 (Fig. 2) is pivoted onto the frame of the machine in association with the chains 35 and 36. Said lever 31 may be similar in all respects to the lever 65, 66 of the aforesaid patent. The rocking of said lever about its pivot, by projections 38 and 39, on the chains both of which projections are of different heights, is effective to adjust the upper end 4| of the lever 31 to either of two positions in addition to the one shown in the drawings, each of which corresponds to one of the positions of the locking element which controls the jacks, as will appear more clearly in the course of the following description.

As is usual in machines of this type, a lock mechanism (Figure 5) is supported on the underneath side of the carriage I3 above either one or both of the needle or bed plates l4 and 15. For purposes of the present invention, there need only be described one of these lock mechanisms and its associated instrumentalities including the jack, control of the present invention, but it will be understood that the lock mechanism and other parts may be duplicated and associated with the other needle plate, if found desirable. As shown in Figure 1, the jack control mechanism of the present invention is illustrated in connection with the needle plate l5. The lock mechanism of Figure 5 comprises a plate 42 having a series of locks 43 arranged thereon to form a guide channel 44 for the short and long butts 45 and 45 of the jacks 41 and 48, respectively, shown in Figures 10 and 11. The entrances to the channel or course 44 at the ends thereof are widened as indicated at 45 so as to facilitate the entry of the butts into said channel as the carriage I3 is moved back and forth lengthwise of the machine. In accordance with the present invention, the channel 44 is widened intermediate its ends as indicated at 46 and associated with this widened portion is a vertically adjustable lock element 41 which, in a manner to be described, is movable to fully retracted, partially projected and wholly projected positions with respect to the channel 44 as shown in dotted and full lines in Figure l of the drawings. When the lock element is in its raised or retracted position both the short and long butts of the jacks will pass under the lower end of-said lock element and thus follow the main course of the channel 44. In this instance all of the jacks will operate their respective needles to. form flat stitches. Adjustment of the lock element 41 to its intermediate or partially projected position, as shown in full lines in Figure 7, will allow the short butts 45 of the jacks 41 to pass under said lock element so that flat stitches will be formed; but the long butts 46 will betmomentarily diverted, by the lower :projecting end of the =1element -41,:into'the widened portion 46' of the channel and will thus be by-passed around agportion of the main channel. The jacks 48 will thus be actuated to produce the link stitches of the machine during the passage through the byepass portion 46. In order that both typesof acks '4-1 and 48 may be operated to produce rlink stitches at the :intermediate point of thephannel 44, the element may be further lowered to its fully "projected position in said channel, in which instance both the long and short butts'of the .jacks will be diverted around thatgportion of the channel then-occupied bythe lower end of said lock element.

To a'ccomplish the adjustment of the element 41 to its various :positions, :the invention provides anoperating mechanism for said'element which is under the control'of the trip device including .thelever 31 andzitsprojecting end-4 I. This oper ating mechanism is preferably in the form of an elongated bar 49 mountedupon the upper side of the carriage 13 :for limited longitudinal movement relative "thereto and having its pointed end 59 projected beyond the end of the carriage |3 :nearest to the trip device and arranged to be contacted by the latter in two of its'three positions or adjustment. 'On opposite edges of the point 5|! the same is provided with longitudinally spaced shoulders 5| and 52, each of which is adapted for :contact with the end 4| of the trip device when the latter has been adjusted to a position in the :path of said shoulder. Thus, with the 'trip 4| in the position shown in Figure 4, the same will be in the path of the shoulder 5| as the carriage is moved toward the right, as viewed in the drawings, and upon engagement of saidshoulder with said'trip the bar 49 is moved a slight distance to the left andrelative to the carriage l3 as the latter reaches the end of its movement. This particular shifting movement of the bar is designed to produce an adjustment of the lock element 41 to its lowermost position, as will presently appear. When the lever 31 of the trip device is moved about its pivot by the projection 38 of lesser height on either chain 35 or 36, so that the end or trip 4| assumes a position slightly to the left of the full line position shown in Figure 2, said end 4| is then brought into alignment withthe shoulder 52. Contact is established between said shoulder and the trip 4| as the carriage l3 begins its return movement to the left and the trip 4| then becomes efiective to exert an outward pull upon the bar '49 to shift the same to its extreme right hand position and thereby raise the lock element 41 to its uppermost or fully retracted position in which both the long and short butts pass thereunder. The means controlled by the bar 49 for raising and lowering the lock element 41 is best illustrated in Figures"? and 8 and preferably comprises a roller 53 carried by the lock element intermediate its ends and arranged between two spaced cam members 54 forming a part of the bar 49. Due to the cam surfaces of the members 54, it will be obvious that when the bar 49 is moved to the right, as viewed in Figure 8, the roller 53 will ride upwardly upon the lower member 54 and thus raise the element 41 to its fully retracted position. Likewise, when the bar 49 is movedto the left the members 54 cause the roller to move downwardly between the same and thus project the element 41 to its lowermost position. In Figures 7 and 8 the roller 53 is shown in its intermediate position between the cams 54 and itis inlthisposition that the element-'41 is partially projected into thechannel'44 soa's to permit the passage-of onlythe short butts 45 thereunder and toicause the'long butts 46'to be by-passed around the projecting lowerend of the lock element".

The adjustment of the lock element 41 to the aforesaid intermediate position will now be described. To effect this intermediate adjustment, the trip 4| is thrown over to'its extreme left hand position, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, by the engagement of the higher projections on either of the chains 35, 36 with the lever -31. :In this position of the trip, it is thrown into direct alignment with a pair of superimposed abutments or contact members 55 and 56. When the .parts are in the positions shown in Figure '4, which positions are assumed following theactuation of the bar 49 to project the element 41 to its lowest point, the lower contact member 55 is extended outwardly and the upper member 55 is correspondingly withdrawn inwardly by the linkage arrangement presently to be described. With the trip -4| now adjusted into alignment with the contact members 55 and 56, the latter member will first engage said trip as the carriage moves to the right and will be forced inwardly. At the same time the upper member 55 will move outwardly, due to said linkage arrangement, until the outer ends of the two members are flush against the trip. This sliding movement in 'opposite directions of the two members results in the adjustment of the bar 49 to the intermediate position shown in Figure 3. The linkage which efiects this result will now be described. To a,

portion of the carriage, a link 51 is pivoted intermediate its ends at 58 and one end of said-link.

has a slidingconnection, at 59, with the rear end of the, lower contact member 56 which isslidable in a portion 60 of the carriage. The opposite end of the link also has a sliding connection at 6| with the bar 49. Therefore, as the contact member 56 is forced inwardly by its engagement with the trip 4|, this "movement will swing the link 51 from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 3, thereby shifting the bar 49 to its inof the two contact members would have been re.-

versed; that is, the upper member 55 will have been projected beyond the member 56. This reversal of movement is accomplished by a lateral extension 62 at the inner endof the upper member 55, the free end of which extension .projects into an opening 63 formed in the bar 49 (see Figure 9). By this arrangement, it will be seen that when the shoulder 52 of the bar 49 engages the trip 4| at the beginning of the left hand movement of the carriage, as viewed in Figure 4, the movement of the bar 49 is momentarily halted until the trip 4| is moved out of the path of said shoulder by the disengagement of the lower projection 38 from the lever 31, and as a consequence of this temporary stoppage of the bar 49 the same is shifted to its other extreme position. This shifting movement of the bar is transmitted through the extension 62 to the upper member 55 and causes the latter to be projected outwardly. At the same time, through the connection BI,

the shifting of the bar 49 rocks the link 51 to its other diagonal position and this results in the inward movement of the lower contact member 56 intothe portion 60. Should these contact members now be in this position when the trip 4| is again adjusted into alignment with said members by the action of the higher projection 39 on one of the chains 35, 36, the contact member 55 will first engage the trip 4| and be forced in- .wardly thereby, with the result that its extension 62 will shift the bar 49 to the previously described intermediate position and this movement of the bar will, through the link 51, force the lower contact member 56 outwardly until the outer ends of the two members are flush against the trip 4|.

In order to relieve the shock incident to the engagement of either of the members 55 and 56 with the trip 4| each of said members, as shown in Figure 6, may be made in sections with the outer abutment portion thereof having a limited sliding movement in the inner part of the member, with a spring 64 interposed between the sections so as to absorb the shock of said contact.

Brief reference is made to a mechanism which, although it does not. form any part of the jack control, is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. This mechanism is utilized to produce tight and loose stitches and comprises a sectional bar somewhat similar, to the bar 49 and extending parallel thereto. The sections 64 and 65 of said bar are designed to be reciprocated in opposite directions-by a rack and pinion mechanism generally indicated by the numeral 66 and, similarly to the bar 49, the section 65 has its outer end projecting beyond the right hand of the carriage l3. Said outer end is adapted to be controlled in the same manner as described in connection with the end 50, either by separate trip device or by the trip 4|. In the latter instance, provision would be made for two additional positions of adjustment of the trip 4| by providing the chains 35, 36 with further projections of greater height than the projections 38 and 39.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine, a needle plate for receiving needle jacks having long and short butts, a carriage movable along said needle plate, a lock mechanism on said carriage having means to direct said jacks along a certain course as said carriage is moved, a lock element adjustable to a plurality of positions relative to said course, an operating mechanism for said element including a bar slidably mounted on said carriage and operatively connected to said lock element, a trip device for said bar having a series of positions each correspondingto one of the positions of said lock element and in certain of which the same is directly contacted by said bar to slide the latter relative to said carriage, and coordinated abutments linked to said bar and contacting said trip device in one of its positions to produce a different sliding movement of said bar.

2. In a knitting machine, a plurality of needle jacks, a reciprocating carriage, a lock mechanism movable with said carriage and including means to provide a course to be followed by said jacks, a control element movable to retracted, partially projected and fully projected positions relative to said course to variously control the operation of said jacks, and an actuating member for said control element mounted on said carriage and movable relative thereto, said actuating member and element having cooperating roller and cam means to'adjust said element, when said actuating member is moved relative to said carriage, to any of the aforesaid positions in accordance with the movements of said actuating member.

3. In a knitting machine, a plurality of needle jacks, a reciprocating carriage, a lock mechanism movable with said carriage and including means to provide a course to be followed by said jacks, a control elementmovable to retracted, partially projected and fully projected positions relative to said course to variously'control the operation of said jacks, an actuating member for said control element mounted on said carriage and movable relative thereto, said actuating member and element having cooperating roller and cam means to adjust said element, when said actuating member is moved relative to said carriage, to any of the aforesaid positions in accordance with the movements of said actuating member, and a trip device'adjustable to a plurality of positions for engagement by said actuating member to vary the movement of the latter and thereby alter theposition of said control element relative to said course. 4. In a knitting machine, av plurality of needle jacks, a reciprocating carriage, a lock mechanism movable with said carriage and including means to provide a course to be followed by saidjack's, a control element movable to retracted, partially projected and fully projected positionsrelative to said course to variously control the operation of said jacks, an actuating member for saidcontrol element mounted onsaid carriage and movable relative thereto, said actuating member and element having cooperating roller and cam means to adjust said element, when said actuating member ismoved relative to said carriage, to any of the aforesaid positions in accordance with the movements of said actuating member, a trip device for directly controlling certain of the movements of said actuating member, and means linked to said actuating .member and operated by said trip device to control other movements of said actuating member. 4

5. In a knitting machine, a needle plate for receiving needle jacks having long and short butts, a horizontally reciprocating carriage movable above and relative to said needleplate, a lock mechanism on said carriage having means to direct said jacks along a certain course as said carriage is moved, a vertically adjustable lock element movable to a plurality of'positions relative to said course, and operating mechanism for said-element including a bar-slidably mounted on said carriage for longitudinal movements relative thereto and operatively connectedto said lock element, and a trip device for said bar adjustable to anyone of a series of positions each corresponding to one of the positions of said lock element, and effective ineach of its positions to slide said bar on said carriage to thereby shift said lock element to the position corresponding to that of said device. 1 a

MICHAEL ZIMIC. 

